The present invention relates to a method of allocating channels in radio communication systems, and more particularly, in decentralized radio systems such as cordless telephone systems.
A carrier sensing technique has been introduced in recent cordless telephone systems to prevent interference with other stations and to ensure that an empty channel will be used. According to this technique, a channel state is monitored prior to communication to measure the reception signal level of this channel. When the reception signal level is lower than that corresponding to a predetermined value, communication is started. Otherwise, another channel is monitored. In this case, there is no established theory for determining a carrier sensing threshold value, i.e., determining a predetermined value to be compared with the reception signal level so as to determine an empty channel.
This threshold value is a very important value to determine the capacity of the system and is preferably set to be an optimal value. Conditions for determining the threshold value in the initial period of system introduction are different from those after a period of widespread use of the system. That is, it is necessary to set a lowest sensing level and not to use channels used by other stations so as to prevent interference between the stations. However, when the number of stations and hence the traffic have increased, the system can no longer be practically operated if communication is not permitted to start in consideration of even a slight possibility of a collision. This problem will be described with reference to FIGS. 2A and 2B.
FIGS. 2A and 2B illustrate a relationship between distances of the mobile telephone sets from base stations and reception signal levels. Referring to FIG. 2A, the base stations are located at positions X1 and X2 and each have a transmission signal level T. A reception signal level of a mobile station is decreased when it is away from the transmission station. When a noise level is given as N, a carrier sensing threshold value is preferably set at a level slightly higher than the noise level N as indicated by a level C, in the initial period of system introduction. Assuming that a signal-to-noise ratio of Y will provide acceptable communications quality, the minimum required signal strength in that situation will be S. Therefore, when the interfering station is located at the position X2 sufficiently away from the mobile station, a maximum communication range for the mobile station can reach position D beyond which the reception signal level from the desired base station X1 is lowered and the reception characteristics are degraded by noise.
To the contrary, as shown in FIG. 2B, when the system is in widespread use and a distance between the mobile station and the interfering station X3 is reduced, the interfering signal level is increased. In FIG. 2B, the desired base station X1 and the interfering base station X3 are assumed to be closer than in FIG. 2A. When the carrier sensing threshold value is kept unchanged at a level C, no empty channel can be found, and an empty channel cannot be set. Even in this case, communication can be performed in the range near the base station (i.e., the range from X1 to D') without interference, because the reception signal level from X1 is sufficiently higher than, i.e., more than Y greater than, the interfering signal level from X3 within this range. Therefore, acceptable communication can be provided within the area from X1 to D' in FIG. 2B if the carrier sensing threshold is raised from C to C'.